The Connect2 Podcast

After a long trip to the Southern USA, Mark has returned.  He drove for 108 hours, 8135KM over 3 weeks.  He visited 7 National Parks, State Parks and Monuments.  This was after he went to see Dave Matthews at the Gorge in Washington State and then attended a conference in Las Vegas on Dog Photography (Shutterhound). Mark debriefs Jeff on where he went and what he saw.  There is some salty language...

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss screen time and how much we as a society watch our phones, tablets and computers  (spoiler... its a lot!).  They also discuss what they learned in the past week and what media they are consuming.  Mark is going to be travelling for the early part of September so there will be a gap until the next episode. 

In this episode, Mark interviews his wife as part of the celebration of 35 years of marriage.  As part of this podcast, Mark digs into Lori's career, skills and interests.  As she is a renaissance woman, she has many diverse skill and interests.  We discuss things we learned in the past week, current interests as well as media being consumed.

Mark and Jeff discuss their favourite destinations to visit in Alberta and BC.  They also discuss what they learned in the past week, what media they are consuming and tell a few dad jokes while enjoying good coffee. 

Well, Jeff was away this week with family commitments so today's episode was recorded while camping in BC.  Mark interviewed Les Wold, a partner with Effect Home Builders and a really great guy.  In this episode, Mark and Les discuss his work, his interests and what he likes to do.  As usual we sample some coffee, tell dad jokes, discuss what we learned in the past week and what media we are consu...

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the lifespan of social media influencers.  Those that are successful and those that are just one trick ponies.  We also discuss the source of the most comments on our Facebook page (hint... the comments are from scammers), we discuss things we learned in the last week, tell a few dad jokes and discuss media we are currently watching

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the trials and tribulations of Jeff as his Facebook account has been hacked.  The hacker changed the email address and phone number for verification.  As a consequence he cannot recover the account.  One step further, Facebook has no customer support.  If you can't solve it with an automated assistant you can't solve it.  Mark and Jeff also discuss other curr...

Well hello!  For the first Episode of Season 3 Mark and Jeff discuss the state of social media including statistics and general usage metrics.  Mark and Jeff sample some coffee, tell a few dad jokes, discuss what they learned in the past week and media they have been consuming.  Come Join us as you do other things!!!!

We finished our second season of the Connect2 Podcast with an episode discussing real life glitches in the matrix  Mark and Jeff discuss things they learned this past week, sample some coffee, tell a few lame dad jokes and discuss some current media they are consuming.  While this is the end of Season 2 (our 104th episode), we will return with Season 3... next week!!!!   A whole new season.  Join...

In the penultimate episode of this season, Mark discusses Freezer burn, an Alberta Regional Burning Man Event that he attended.  In this episode, Jeff and Mark discuss what is Burning Man and what is Freezer Burn like.  It was an unusual experience, so what is it all about. 

In this episode, Mark discusses his adventure in trying to photograph the Grizzly bears of the Khutzeymateen.  Located near Prince Rupert in BC, the sanctuary is not accessible on land and there are strict rules for access.  Despite these limitations, the tour was fantastic with so many Grizzlies.  As usual, coffee is samples, dad jokes told, discussion about what we learned in the past week and w...

In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss the benefits and traps of Google reviews for small businesses.  Google reviews are increasingly being seen as a major way people decide on purchasing services and goods.  The catch is that negative reviews can have devastating consequences for small businesses.  Some competitors even use them to sabotage people providing the same services or goods.  Mark and J...

Hooray!  This episode marks our 100th release.  In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss what is trans-formative AI and how/when it will lead to obsolescence of humans.  P (doom) is the probability that AI will somehow lead to the destruction of humankind.  Some people's P (doom) is low but for others familiar with AI tech, that number is somewhat higher.  Mark and Jeff discuss some of the risks ahea...

After a brief hiatus (Mark was away), we return in this special episode (our 99th).  Mark and Jeff discuss the current Alberta election on May 29 2023 and make a few predictions, comment on the politics behind the vote and give some insight into how people decide their votes.  Alberta has an issue with generational voting where people vote regardless of policy or candidates.  This tends to lead to...

In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss renewal, reinvention and rebirth as spring is here.  We also talk a lot about different aspects of AI in this episode.  As usual, we discuss what we learned and what media we are consuming.   Mark is away for three weeks, so we will be taking a break.  We are two episodes away from Episode 100 so we will be celebrating that in early June.  See you then.  Live...

In this episode Mark and Jeff review things people generally don't discuss about getting old as well as wiping out some myths about aging.  We also discuss the Cult of Moloch, AI in general, Zombie Ants, Toxoplasmosis as well as media they are consuming

Mark and Jeff start the episode with a plan of what they are going to discuss and end up discussing a lot of different current events as well as recent travel plans.  They discuss things they learned in the past week and media they are currently consuming

Mark and Jeff discuss how people deal with childhood trauma and discuss some personal instances where this has affected people as adults.  It does wander a bit but we also discuss a topic that we only know about from more personal experienced. We also discuss things we learned in the past week and media we are currently consuming.

In this episode Mark discusses with Jeff what cameras are compatible with other manufacturers lenses.  This relates to some specific equipment Mark recently purchased that provided new life to some old lenses that he still had but was no longer using.  Mark and Jeff discuss what they learned this past week as well as what media they are currently consuming.

More crazy AI developments.  ChatGTP 4 is released in a pay to play model.  LLaMa, a standalone AI from Facebook gets limited release only be to freed into the wild.  Mark and Jeff discuss things they learned in the past week and media they are consuming.

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss why Chess has become so popular particularly with young influencers.  The reason might surprise you.  As usual, they discuss things they learned in the past week as well as media they have been consuming including Picard, the Mandalorian, the Menu and Shrinking.

In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss their summer plans that involve travel.  They discuss where they are going and when.  It should be a fun summer.  They also discuss what they learned in the past week as well as media they are consuming including: Rescue Me!, The Consultant, Stutz, Chris Rock's Selective Outrage, Picard Season 3 and the Mandalorian.

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) or the need to buy the latest and greatest with a specific emphasis on camera gear.  Mark and Jeff also discuss what they learned in the past week and what media they are currently consuming including Shrinking, the Consultant and Picard Season 3

In this episode, Mark and Jeff discuss the rise of the alt-right crazy people and how they are starting to insinuate themselves into mainstream politics.  The discussion focuses on what has changed to allow this to happen.  Mark and Jeff also discuss things they learned in the past week, tell dad jokes and review what media they are consuming.

In this episode Mark and Jeff discuss the latest news regarding Bing's new ChatGPT based search engine and chatbot and the craziness that transpired in the past week when it expressed love for one of it's users as well as darker desires. This is scifi come to life or AI emulating scifi?  Links to all the material we discussed is found on our facebook page for the podcast